If oral function deteriorates with aging or due to other causes such as a stroke, a masticatory force and/or a swallowing force may be weakened, and thus food or beverage swallowed may easily be sucked into the trachea (hereinafter this phenomenon is referred to as “aspiration”). The aspiration may possibly cause aspiration pneumonia. Since the aspiration pneumonia is one of major causes of death for senior citizens, preventing the aspiration of patients and senior citizens is one of urgent issues.
Attempts have been made to improve the oral function by performing an exercise for strengthening oral muscles of a person whose swallowing function has been deteriorated. Specifically, an exercise is generally performed to improve muscles of lips and a tongue and their elaborate movements.
In this exercise, a general-purpose product such as a gauze sheet or a button modified to meet the purpose of the exercise is generally used. However, in recent years, an exercise tool developed for enhancing the effect of the exercise may be used in some cases (see, e.g., Patent Documents 1 and 2).
An exercise tool of Patent Document 1 has a spoon-shaped stimulating portion and a grip portion which a user holds. An exercise is performed by, for example, pushing upward the stimulating portion inserted in an oral cavity with a tongue.
An exercise tool of Patent Document 2 has a push portion to be pushed upward by a tongue and a bar portion which a user holds. An exercise is performed by pushing the push portion upward with a tongue.